Here are several guidelines to follow to insure a healthy and beautiful lawn from installation to maintenance.

Installing Your Lawn
There are many important factors to consider when installing a new lawn. Everyone wants their lawn to be green, healthy, and easy - and by paying close attention to the soil, water, and fertilization needs of your lawn, you can have all three. Not everyone is a landscaper! - equipment you might require before you start.

Preparing the ground:
The soil should be loose with some type of nutrient mix or soil amendment, such as Kelloggs AMEND roto-tilled in 4-6 inches.
Kelloggs AMEND - specially formulated soil amendment. Adds plenty of organic material for healthy turf, helps battle soil compaction, and increases the soil's water retention. Kelloggs TOPPER - much finer version of the Kelloggs AMEND. Mainly used for covering seed, but can raked into the top several inches of very loose soil for similar benefits.

Watering:
Install sod as soon as possible, begin watering 30 minutes after installation or sooner. Water new sod three times a day for three weeks. Areas at the top of hills or around the edges of large sections may need more water more often.

Fertilization:
A high quality fertilizer, such as Endo-ROOTS should be spread and raked into the top inch of loose soil. This will assist in quicker establishment of the sod roots and a quick increase in the size of the plants root system - helping the turf deal with transplant shock much easier, and making the plant healthier in general.

Equipment needed:
You will require a roto-tiller to loosen the soil (ideally 4-6 inches); a wheel barrow to transport the sod around; a sod knife for trimming edges and curves; and a sod roller for lightly compacting the soil before installation and the turf afterwards to get rid of small air pockets and push the sod seams together tightly.

Maintaining Your Lawn 
Keep your lawn green and healthy - regular and consistent watering, a steady fertilization program, and persistent care can make lawn maintenance an easy and refreshing task. Remember - weather conditions can greatly affect your lawn. Be sure you adjust your maintenance schedule according to hot, dry, windy, or extreme cold conditions.

WATER REGULARLY! 
It can't be said enough times - water regularly. New sod only has about 1/2 inches to 3/4 inches of roots when first installed, it must be kept moist by frequently watering - three or four times a day for the first three weeks of establishment. Once you can lift on a roll of sod and it no longer moves, the roots have taken hold and you can alter your watering schedule to a less frequent but deeper (longer) waterings. Most lawn problems are water related - not enough water, too much water, or a misused or improperly maintained sprinkler system. Pay close attention to your lawn - water spots on top of hills or strips around the edges of large areas by hand.

Fertilization Program:
Having a fertilization program is essential if you want your lawn to be green and look beautiful. Dayton Valley Turf recommends using a high grade starter fertilizer during installation such as Endo-ROOTS, and then six weeks after sod establishment starting your fertilizer program with ROOTs Turf Food, with ample applications every six to eight weeks thereafter. In general we recommend staying away from commonly available synthetic "chemical-based" fertilizers, in almost all cases it is better to use an organic slow-release fertilizer - Dayton Valley Turf's extensive line of ROOTs turf fertilizers are always available and all organic.

Very Important:
Whenever fertilizing your lawn, read all instructions very carefully. When using synthetic fertilizers it's very easy to apply incorrectly and burn or otherwise damage your lawn. Most fertilizer products require a fair amount of water after or during application. Have your lawn aerified at least once a year - this reduces soil compaction and allows your lawn to breath and get water more easily. Your lawn should also be power-raked or thatched at least once a year - this removes the ever-increasing thatch layer (made up of grass clippings and other debris) that accumulates between the healthy green grass blades and the soil.

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